The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and, more particularly, to a modular shielded electrical connector.
In the electronics industry, particularly the computer industry, it is extremely desirable to reduce the amount of space on the printed circuit board that is utilized by board mounted electrical connectors. The typical computer application utilizes a plurality of individual female electrical connectors mounted on a main printed circuit board and which project through a rear panel of the computer. Individual male connectors can be mated with the female connectors on the printed circuit board as required to achieve the desired configuration of the computer and its various electronic attachments.
As disclosed in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 711,229, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, a configuration for reducing the board space utilized by the electrical connectors involves offsetting the jack screws commonly used to secure mating electrical connectors. An additional configuration disclosed therein eliminates the jack screws positioned on the sides of the electrical connectors and replaces them with a latching mechanism located at the top of each connector.
The present invention further reduces the required space by eliminating some or all of the individual connectors located on the printed circuit board and replacing them with a single electrical connector. The individual male connectors that are mated with the female connectors in the prior art are replaced by a modular shielded electrical connector in which each of the male connectors is replaced by a modular sub-assembly that is secured to the shielded connector assembly. Modules can be added or removed from the connector assembly as desired in order to change the connections between the main printed circuit board and other components such as printers, terminals and the like.